Gas producer



March 3,1931. BRADLEY 4 1,795,162

' GAS PRPDUCER Filed Sept. 27, 1926 ZSheets-Sheet 1 Patented Mar. 3, 1931 UNITED sures tartar orrics ANSON K. BRADLEY, OF WORCESTER, IMASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, TO MOBGAN"CON STRUCTION CODIPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAS-.

SACHUSETTS GAS PRODUCER Application filed September 27, 1926.. Serial No. 138,039.

The present invention relates to gas producers, and more particularly involves a construction adapted to secure a substantially continuous discharge of ashes from the bottom of the producer during the gas making operation.

The features of my improved construction are fully set forth in the following description, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichi Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a gas producer embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a large-scale fragmentary view showing in side elevation certain devices associated with the ash-removing means of the 'taining shell 1, which, in the present construction, is adapted to be continuously rotated at a relatively slow speed, say one complete revolution in five or six minutes. To this end, said shell 1 is rotatably supported on a series of elevated rollers 2, 2, carried by the v stationary columns 3, 3,'the shell having secured to its outer wall a surrounding ring 4, whose lower surface provides an annular track 5 adapted to run on said rollers 2, 2. The upper surface of ring 4 is made in the form of an annular gear 6, with which meshes a driving pinion 7 that derives its rotation,

at an appropriate speed, from any suitable I source of power, such as amotor 8. The columns 3 provide for the stationary support of the top or cover section 9 of the producer, which has the usual depending annular skirt 10 that projects into the water acket 11 surrounding the shell 1, thereby to form a water seal between the shell 1 and cover section 9,

allowing the former to rotate relative'to the latter without escape of gas. I

An ash pan 12 disposed below the open lower end of shell 1 is adapted to contain a body of water of sufficient depth to form a water seal with an annular depending skirt v 13 of said shell, as is usual in rotary water.

seal gas producers. Said ash pan 12 has no I mechanical connection with the rotating fuel shell 1; on the contrary, said ash pan is independently supported for rotation, as for instance, upon a ball bearing 14 interposed between an annular hub 15 on the bottom of said, pan and a stationary base member 16 The. ash pan 12 has a central opening therethro'u'ghj for the passage of the blast of air and steam to the interior of the producer,the blast being supplied by a suitable blower 17, and the central opening through thepan being sur rounded by an upwardly projecting flange or hub 18 which supports a blast distributing.

hood 19 of ordinaryconstruction.

The flange or hub 18 serves as a pivotal bearing for a laterally projecting curved plow arm 20, which lies flat on the bottom of ash pan 12, and is adapted, in the absence of re straint, to partake of any rotary motion to which said pan is subjected. Near its outer 7 end said plow 20 provides a raised lug 21 for cooperation with the end of a rocking member 22 which is supported in suitable bearj ings 23, 23, on the wall ofrotary shell, 1. From the upper end of member 22 projects J a lever arm 24, by which said member can be rocked in its bearings to move its'lower end into and out of the path of lug 21 on plow 20.

In the position of the parts shown inFigL 1, the member 22 has been rocked into operative position, so that its lower end, in the rotation of shell 1, will engage lug 21, and this position is yieldingly maintained by the engagement of the free end of lever arm 24 with a hook or latch 25, pivoted at 26 on the outside of shell 1, as shown in'Fig. 2. A counterweight 27 normally holds the hook or latch down, thereby preventing the member 22 from turning in its bearings 23, 23; thus the rotation of shell 1 is imparted to plow 20 to sweep the latter around on the surface of pan 12 at the same speedas that at which the shell itself rotates, so long as no abnormal or excessive resistance to such rotation of the-plow 20 is encountered However, in the retarding influences, to causerotation of'pan.

12 in substantial unison. with said shell.

der these conditions, viz, with the shell 1 and pan 12 rotating together at the same speed, the ash plow 20, regardless of the operative or inoperative disposition of the member 22, remains ineffective, since said plow will partake, of the same rate of rotation as the ashes in which it is submerged. However, accord ing to the present invention, provision is made" for effecting, at the will of an operator, any desired difierential rotation between the shell 1 and the ash pan 12, and this is utilized to obtain continuous action of the plow 20, with a wide range of variation in the rate of ash removal from the producer, in the followmg manner As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the annular hub 15 of pan 12 is encircled by a brake band 28, whichis-guided and supported in its contracting andexpanding movements by any suitablemeans, not shown. One end of band 28 is secured to any fixed point, and the other endis fastened to one arm of a lever 30, pivoted at 31. The band 28 is tightened or loosened by movement of the other arm of lever 30, thelatter for this purpose having connected thereto a cable 32 adapted to wind up on a brake-actuating shaft 33, here shown equipped with a' hand-wheel 34 disposed above the operating platform 35 of the producer,. although any other convenient location may be selectec.

In this way the speed of rotation of pan 12 can be closely controlled by manipulation of the friction brake 28, so that. any desired speed differential can be established between the-positively rotated shell 1 and the frictionally rotatedash pan 12. Assuming the rotation of the pan 12 to be only slightly retarded by the brake 28, there will, nevertheless,be produced a sufficient shearing and. grinding action in the lower part of the fuel bed to insure a proper descent of ashes and clinker into the pan 12, and atthe same time the rotation of plow 20 in unison with the shell 1 at a sli htly higher speed than the pan12, will'crowd the ashes outwardly on the bottom of said pan and up the inclined face of the plow extension 86, so as to be reached by the stationary skimmer 37 for removal from the ash-pan at that point. Tightening of the brake band 28 to further retard thetrotation of the pan 12 will increase the grinding and shearing actionin the lower partof the fuel bed, andalso the rate of ash the amount by which the pans rotation lags behind the rotation of the fuel shell 1.

When it is desired to discontinue the plowing and discharge of ashes, the operator lifts the counterweight 27, which raises the latch 25 and releases the arm 24; thereupon, the tendency of plow 20 torotate: withbthe slower-speed pan 12, on which its rests, rather than with the faster-speed shell l, produces sufficient pressure of lug 21 against member 22 to rock the latter into its inoperative position, so that itcle'ars said lug. Not until the operator again disposes arm24 behind the latch 25 will plowing and discharge of ashes be resumed,but' notwithstanding this, the relative movement between shell and ash pan, resulting from braking of the latter, continues, producing a very beneficial shearing action in the ashes, which tends to settle the ashes down the wall ofthe producer and so fill the pan with them.

In the tmodified form ofthe invention shown in Fig, 4, the operation is precisely the same as above described, but the means employed to retard .thefrictional rotation of the ash pan 12 is slightly-different. As shown in Fig. at, said ash pan on its under side carries 1 an annular gear 38, which meshes with a pinion89 on a shaft LO -the latter at its other end carryinga Wheel or drum 41. Encirclingthe wheel or drum illis a suitably supported brake band 42,1,which is adapted to be tightened on said drum by operating mechanism of substantially the same form as that shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the same embodying a shaft43uadapted to be, operated ed ash pan, actuatingmeans for continuous ly imparting positive rotation only to saidv shell during the operationof the producer,

said ash pan being frictionally rotatable from the rotation of said shell by the friction of the contained bed ofifuel, a friction brake selectively operable onsaid pan to establish adifferentialbetween its rotation and that of said shell, and, an ash plow. rotatably mounted insaidvpanand adapted to be connected tosaid shell, for rotation in unison 3 therewith,-thereby, to discharge ashes from said pan continuously at a rate determined by the degree of retardation of saidpan by said friction brake.

2. In a gas producer, a rotatably mounted fuel containing shell and a rotatably mounted ash pan, actuating means for continuously imparting positive rotation to one only of said parts during the operation of the producer, the other of said parts being frictionally rotatable from the rotation of the first part by the friction of the contained bed of fuel, a friction brake operable on said frictionally-driven part to establish a differential between its rotation and that of said positively-driven part, and an ash plow carried by said pan, and selectively rotatable either with said positively-driven part or with said frictionally-rotated part.

3. In a gas producer, a rotary fuel-contain ing shell and a rotary ash pan, means for imparting positive rotation to only one of said parts, with the other part adapted to derive frictional rotation from said positively rotated part in consequence of the friction of the contained bed of fuel and ash, a frictional braking device operable on said frictionally rotated part to establish a difierential between its rotation and that of said positively rotated part, an ash plow mounted in said pan and adapted selectively to rotate in unison either with said positively-driven part or with said frictionally-driven part,

and means for controlling the action of said U plow by said braking device.

Dated this 22nd day of September, 1926.

ANSON K. BRADLEY. 

